At OPEX, we’re all about turning interactions into lasting relationships and customers into engaged communities. Lately, we’ve seen some great examples of community engagement done right. For instance, Woolworths’ clever response to a Hummus issue, featuring rapper Ice Cube, received over 46,000 likes and a lot of praise online. Similarly, Optus earned respect when their Customer Service Representative ‘Dan’ handled complaints about multilingual ads with a fair and respectful approach.
Building and managing a community isn’t easy, and many brands face challenges. Here’s what you should remember:
Connect Your Community
Customers don’t just buy products; they look for solutions to their problems. The same goes for brand communities. People join and connect with each other because they find something valuable, like support, guidance, or entertainment.
Consider Harley-Davidson. In the mid-1980s, Harley-Davidson was struggling with a bad reputation due to mechanical problems. To turn things around, the company didn’t just fix its bikes; it focused on building a community. Harley-Davidson started the Harley Owners Group (HOG), which allowed bikers to connect, share, and support each other. By focusing on their community’s needs, Harley-Davidson changed from a struggling company to a global leader.
Community First
Social media has given communities a bigger role in shaping brand value. Threadless, an online store for clothes and prints, is a great example. Started in 2000 with just $1,000, Threadless grew by building an online community of artists and fans. By letting the community design and choose products, Threadless became more than just a store—it became a creative hub with a loyal following.
Respect Your Community
One big mistake brands make is trying to control their communities. Your community members are the true owners of your brand. Guide, support, and help them connect, but don’t try to control them.
Porsche’s launch of the Cayenne SUV in 2002 shows this. Even though the Cayenne was successful, many traditional Porsche fans didn’t like it because they felt it didn’t fit with the brand’s values. Porsche’s efforts to change this opinion didn’t work out, showing that you can’t control how your community feels or acts.
More Than Just the Platform
Building a community involves more than just setting up social media accounts. While tools like ChatGPT and other tech platforms can help, they’re just tools. The real value of a community comes from the shared values and interactions that bring people together.
Less focus on being purely personal and more on knowing your audience and data will help you create a winning strategy.
Signing off,
Roey